Take a First Look at Pinea’s Menus

Pinea will open with Mediterranean-inspired dishes such as poached shrimp with smoked-tomato vinaigrette. Photograph courtesy of Pinea.

One of the biggest fall openings is imminent. Pinea, the new Southern European-restaurant replacing J&G Steakhouse in the W Hotel, announced an October 1 opening date. On the menu: chili-spiked pasta with clams and crab, whole roasted fish, and a lamb burger from chef Barry Koslow.

Koslow most recently churned out some of Washington’s best corned beef and pastrami at DGS Delicatessen, but a transition to Mediterranean cooking isn’t a stretch. Dishes from the region have always been present on his menus, whether at DGS, the now-closed Mendocino Grill, or Arlington’s Tallula/EatBar. The breakfast menu is the most concise, ranging from simple organic eggs with herb-roasted potatoes to piperade, a spicy pepper stew with eggs and chorizo. Lunch and dinner get more elaborate, with an emphasis on house-made pastas, charcuterie, and seafood dishes. Appetizers such as poached shrimp with smoked-tomato vinaigrette are joined by a list of merenda, which fall more in the tradition of shareable snacks like bruschetta and Serrano-wrapped roasted figs.

All three meals commence when the restaurant opens. In the meantime, you can check out the hotel’s recently reopened and remodeled P.O.V. rooftop lounge.

Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.